Electron discharge tube adapter



A. M. TROGNER I ELECTRON DISCHARGE TUBE ADAPTER Filed March I4, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Arthur M P091251". Vo W fiTTORNEY Jan. 26, 1932. A M. TROGNER 1,842,635

ELECTRON DISCHARGE TUBE ADAPTER Filed March 14. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

INVENTOR Arthur M Wagner.

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR 1V1. TROGNER, 0F MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR '10 WIRED RADIO, 1

INCL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ELECTRON DISCHARGE TUBE ADAPTER Application filed. March 14, 1930. Serial No. 435,805.

My invention pertains in general to adapting devices for electron discharge tubes, and specifically relates to an adapter interposed between an electron discharge tube and a supporting socket therefor.

One of the objects of my invention consists in providing an adapter constructed to house a combination of small electrical apparatus.

Another object comprises producing an adapter, containing a small electrical organization, which will support an electron discharge tube and which can be inserted in a supporting socket in place of the said electron discharge tube, thereby providing relatively short connections between the tube, the socket, and the electrical organization contained within the adapter.

Another object consists in providing an adapter. containing certain parts of an auxiliary electrical organization, which can be interposed between a electron discharge tube and a supporting socket therefor of an electrical organization of certain capacitance constants, without materially disturbing these constants.

1 accomplish the above desirable features in a novel adapter in which certain small electrical apparatus are contained within an olectrostatically shielded housing adapted to be used in combination with an electron discharge tube and supporting socket therefor.

1n the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the specification, and in which like reference numbers designate corresponding parts throughout:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an adapter comprising one embodiment of my invention.

F 2 is a side elevation and partial sectional view of the adapter shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of the electrical connections of my invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Fig. 1, a circular mounting member 1 is disposed within an electrostatic shielding 2. A series of receptacle apertures 3, l, 5, 6 and 7 are provided in the mounting member 1 to receive the terminal pins or prongs of an electron discharge tube.

In Fi 2 a second mounting member 8 is provided below the mounting member 1 within the electrostatic shielding 2. The mounting members 1 and 8 are thin circular pieces of insulating material,'such as a phenol condensation product, while the electrostatic shielding 2 is composed of a conducting material such as brass. Spacers 9, 10 and 11 (see Fig. 1.) are provided between the mounting members 1 and 8, and are securely riveted thereto. The electrostatic shielding 2, which encircles the space between the mounting members 1 and 8, is secured to the mounting members by bent over cars 12, which are integral with the said electrostatic shield. Spring contacts 13 are riveted to the mount ing member 1 beneath the receptacle apertures 3, 41, 5, 6, and 7, and are arranged to make Contact with the terminal pins or prongs of an electron discharge tube inserted into the said apertures.

In Fig. 3 a group of terminal pins 14:, 15, 16, 17 and 18, are securely riveted to the mounting member 8 and extend below the san'ie as shown inFig. 2. These terminal pins are similar in construction to the terminal pins or prongsof an electron discharge tube and are intended to be inserted into a supporting socket for such a tube.

An anti-capacity switch 19 is mounted upon the mounting member 8. Four contact terminals 20, 21, 22 and 23 are also mounted upon the mounting member 8 and are radially disposed about the switch 19 to engage with contacting sectors thereof. The contact terminals and 23 are secured to the mounting member 8 by hollow rivets 24: and 25 while the contactterminals 21 and 22 are held to the mounting member 8 by peened over heads of the terminal pins 17 and 16, respectively. A switch handle 26 extends through an aperture 27 in the shield 2 to per mit actuation of the said switch from without the shield 2. i i

A small fixed condenser 29 is contained within the shield 2 and is secured to the mounting member 8 by means of a hollow rivet 28. A resistance in the form of a grid leak 80, associated with the condenser 29, is also contained within the shield 2 and is in a re? m) pin 16 and thence to porting socket 36.

bracket 32 which is riveted to the mounting member 8. Recesses 33 and 34 are provided in the periphery of the mounting member 8 between the electrostatic shield 2 and the contact terminals and 23, thereby providing an air space which reduces capacitance leakage between the said parts to a minimum.

In Fig. 4, which is a schematic representation of my adapter, and electrical connections therefor in a typical application of its use, the shield 2 is interposed between a thermionic electron discharge tube 35 of the teetrode type, and a supporting socket 36 therefor. The tube 35 is employed as the detector tube of a complete space radio receiving system and would normally be inserted in the supporting socket 36. The grid of the said tube would then be connected to the radio frequency inputsource 37, while the plate of the said-tube would be connected to the output 38 to audio frequency stages of amplification of the space radio receiving system. When it' is desired to use the said space radio receiving system in conjunction with an'independent auxiliary radio frequency source, such as radio frequency input 39 of a wired radio tuner, my adapter is inserted in the supporting socket 36 and the tube 35 is inserted in the adapter.

An electrical connection is provided betwecnthe spring contact 13, associated with the grid of'tube 35, and the contact terminal '20. Another electrical connection is provided between the contact terminal 21 and the terminal pin 17 of the adapter, the said terminal pin 17 being associated with the grid input from the space radio frequency source 37 Further electrical connections are provided between the spring contacts 13, and the terminal pin 16 associated with the cathode, the terminal pins 14 and 15 associated with the heater 4, and the terminal pin 18 associated with the plate of the thermionic tube 35, as shown.

The gridinput from the radio frequency source 39 of the wired radio tuner is connected to the condenser 29. The contact terminal 23 is connected to the condenser 29 and the grid leak 30, while the contact terminal 22 is connected to the said grid leak and to the cathode terminal pin 16. An electrical-connection is provided from the electrostatic shielding 2 to the cathode terminal ground through the sup- The switch 19 having contacting sectors 41 and 40 in the position shown in Fig. 4, will electrically connect contact terminal 20 to contact terminal 23, and contact terminal 21 to contact terminal 22, respectively. In such an electrical arrangement the grid input terminal pin 17 associated with the radio frequency source 37 of the space radio receiving system, will be connected through the contact terminal 21 and intermediate con tact sector 40 to the contact terminal 22 and thence to cathode terminal pin 16 and to ground. The radio frequency input of the space radio-receiving system will then be grounded and inoperative as a source of signals for the thermionictube 35. At the same time, the spring contact 13 associated with the grid of the thermionic tube is connected through the contact terminal 20 and intermediate contact sector 41 to the contact terminal 23 and thence through the condenser 29, and associated grid leak 30, to the radio frequency source 39. The grid of the thermionic tube 35 willnow be coupled to the radio frequency source 39, while the plate of the said thermionic tube will deliver impressed signals through the intermediate connections of the adapter to the output'38 to the audiofrequency amplification stages.

When it is desired to operate thespace radio receiving system independently of the wired radio tuner, the switch 19 can be rotated in a clockwise direction by means of the handle 26 so that the contacting sector 41 will connect contact terminal 21 to the contact terminal 20, and the contact sector will connect the contact'terminal 22 to the contact terminal 23. In such a position, the radiofrequency source 39 and the condenser 29 connected in series therewith will be con-2 nected through the contact terminal 23 and intermediate contact sector 40 to the contactterminal 22 and thence'to the cathode terminal pin 16 and to ground. At the same time, the spring contact 13 associated with the grid of the thermionic tube 35 will be connected through the contact terminal 20 and inter- -mediate contact sector 41 to thecontact terminal 21 and thence to the grid input terminal pin 17, which couples the grid of thermionic tube 35 to the radio frequency source 37. The plate of the thermionic tube 35 will then transfer impressed signals from the space radio frequency source 37 to output 38 to audio frequency amplification stages, while the Wired radio frequency source 39 is grounded and is inoperative.

It is evident that my adapter provides a convenient method for tying in an auxiliary radio frequency signal source to the detector tube of a radio receivingsystem. The combination of a grid condenser and grid leak with an anti-capacity switch in such an adapter is especially advantageous in that extremely short connections can be produced between the grid of the said detector tube and the grid condenser and grid leak of the auxiliary grid input source, thereby avoiding the introduction of extraneous capacitance effects into the detector-tube circuit. Consequently, the capacitance constants of a radio receiving system would not be materially disturbed by the tying in of an auxiliary tuning system by means of my adapter.

Although I have shown an anti-capacitance switch, a condenser, and a grid leak as comprising the combination of apparatus, or electrical or 'anizatlon of m ada ter it is ena b i 7 n a 7 tirely posslble and wlthin the scope of my 1n- 5 vention to include or substitute other small electrical apparatus within my adapter in any preferred electrical arrangement, it being the purpose of my invention to provide an adapter within which small electrical ap-- 10 paratus can be mounted to be used in com bination with an electron discharge tube and a supporting socket therefor.

I do not, therefore, limit myself to the fore going except as may be pointed out in the ap- 5 pended claims.

Nhat I claim as new and original, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is;

1. An electron discharge tube adapter for 20 interposition between a discharge tube and a socket therefor, a pair of input circuits for said tube each containing a grid leak and condenser, the grid leak and condenser of one of said input circuits being contained within said adapter and a switch also contained within said adapter for selectively connecting said input circuits to said tube.

2. An electron discharge tube adapter for interposition between a discharge tube and a socket therefor, a pair of input circuits for said tube each containing a grid leak and a condenser, the grid leak and condenser of one of said circuits being contained within said adapter and a switch also contained within said adapter for selectively rendering said input circuits inoperative with respect to said tube.

3. An electron discharge tube adapter for interposition between a discharge tube and -14 a socket therefor, a space radio input circuit for said tube containing a grid leak and condenser, a wired radio input for said tube containing a grid leak and condenser which are contained within said adapter and a switch 1 likewise contained within said adapter for selectively connecting either of said input circuits in operative relation with said tube.

ARTHUR M. TROGNER. 

